Faced with a difficult situation, Jim Rutherford did not want to wait until the Vancouver Canucks were out of options with their captain, defenseman Quinn Hughes , before they traded the 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner to the Minnesota Wild on Friday .

The Canucks missed the playoffs in 2025, Hughes is due to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season, and he has two brothers -- Jack and Luke -- already playing together for the New Jersey Devils.

Rutherford said the indication he received was that it was "highly unlikely" that Hughes would sign another contract with the Canucks.

"In order to give us any leverage and not get painted into the corner with one team and wait till the trade deadline or wait till next summer, we felt that trying to do a deal in December or

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